What churches need to know about the Affordable Care ActAssociated Baptist PressBeginning Oct. 1, churches now have new options for purchasing health insurance for their ministers and staff. With the Health Insurance Marketplace now open, what do church leaders, pastors and administrators need to do to comply with the Affordable Care Act? In planning and evaluating health insurance coverage for the 2014 calendar year, there are three options.

3 questions to avert church 'shutdown'By Mark MacDonald It happened again. Not necessarily that the government was shut down, but that the government wasn't getting along with itself. We see it all the time — adults not getting along and threatening the absolute worst predicaments. For the first time in 17 years, the U.S. government has shut down. Many thought it would never happen; some thought it was inevitable. All because people can't agree to move forward in certain ways. And sadly, it could happen to your church.

TeleWeb: CopyrightNACBASusan Godwin directs this NACBA TeleWeb, which focuses on preparing for upcoming holiday events and, specifically, how to best utilize the available church blanket licenses. This hour-long session is scheduled for Oct. 31.

The 2 most confusing aspects of classifying your minister for tax purposesChurch Law & TaxUnlike any other employee, a minister creates special issues for the payroll functions of a church. These issues aren't intuitive in nature, so it's not uncommon for errors to occur in the payroll reporting of a minister's compensation package. One of the most confusing aspects of a minister's compensation package is how he or she will be classified when paying into the Social Security and Medicare system.

Reaching more people during AdventLewis Center for Church LeadershipAdvent is a prime season with rich potential for engaging church members and new people. There is arguably no time in the year when people are more interested in what the church is offering than during Advent. Whether with a gathering of neighbors singing carols in a small country church, or with a large choir and organ in a tall steeple sanctuary, the church understands how to celebrate Advent and Christmas.

Healthy conflict resolutionChurch ExecutiveConflicts occur in some of our best-run organizations. Christians and Christian organizations experience conflict likely at the same rate as any other group or organization. Resource allocations, communication deficiencies, economics, environmental stress, confusion over roles and responsibilities are just some of the likely reasons for conflict and each can damage an otherwise healthy organization.

The state of the church in America: Hint, it's not dyingChristianity TodayThe church is not dying. Yes, the church in the West — the United States included — is in transition right now. But transitioning is not the same as dying, particularly if you hold the belief that Christianity is represented by people who live for Christ, not check "Christian" on a survey form.
While we need to understand reality inside our ranks, the situation is not quite as dire as many are making it out to be.

What do millennials really seek from religion?USA TodayA recent Barna Group report found that Millennials crave depth in spirituality and recommended five ways for faith communities to build connections with them. The first and most critical of these was to make room for meaningful relationships. But do students agree?

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Social media: To schedule or not?Center for Church CommunicationAs the use of social media by churches becomes more common, a debate is raging: Should you schedule your social media posts or not? For the anti-scheduling camp, the nature of scheduling social media is like prerecording a message for a dinner party and expecting everyone to want to talk to you. For the pro scheduling camp it's a no-brainer. Why wouldn't you?

Church mobile apps and websitesManaging Your ChurchAs you consider making your digital presence compatible with mobile devices, you will be confronted with the decision of just how to do so. Your first thought might be to quickly develop a mobile app that users can download to their phones to obtain information about your ministry. But this is probably not the best first choice for going mobile.

7 ways to cultivate creativity in businessBy Emma FitzpatrickBusinesses are full of brilliant thinkers, so let's help them have more fun and exercise their creativity — which will ultimately affect the bottom line. Here are seven tips to integrate into your business to have a bit more fun and a whole lot of ground-breaking ideas.

Do you realize how much administrative work impacts ministry?By Deborah Wipf When we think of ministry, we envision worship, a powerful sermon or prayer at the altar. Those are the central focus of Sunday mornings and rightfully so. However, the careful planning and watchful eyes of church administrators help make those ministry moments possible.

Agency: Health law needs fix for churchesUnited Methodist News Service The United Methodist health benefits agency wants Congress to pass a fix to the U.S. health care legislation known as the Affordable Care Act. Without that, the future of church-sponsored health insurance could be in jeopardy. The Church Health Plan Act would treat church health plans as the equivalent of "qualified health plans" offered on insurance marketplaces.

5 ways owners and facility managers can increase energy efficiencyBy Joy Burgess Whether you are a business owner or a facility manager, maximizing energy efficiency is important to your bottom line. Improving energy efficiency not only helps the environment, but it also provides significant savings. If you are reducing electricity usage or cutting heating, ventilating and air conditioning energy expenses, use the following ideas to improve the sustainability and energy efficiency of your buildings or business.

7 ways to cultivate creativity in businessBy Emma Fitzpatrick I recently rediscovered one of my favorite quotes: "Creativity is intelligence having fun." — Albert Einstein. And how true. Businesses are full of brilliant thinkers, so let's help them have more fun and exercise their creativity — which will ultimately affect the bottom line. Here are seven tips to integrate into your business to have a bit more fun and a whole lot of ground-breaking ideas.

We succeed when we give recognitionSwitch & SwiftToo many people at work don't feel appreciated for their contributions or anything they do and that's not right. How do we know this? We typically measure the presence or lack of recognition in terms of employee engagement and stick a recognition question or two somewhere in those engagement surveys companies conduct almost every year.

10 ways to lose your best employeesFast CompanyPeople costs tend to be upward of 50 percent of a company's expenses. What could be more vital than talent to the bottom line? And yet the people in our employ continue to be neglected, taking a backseat to the various other matters that occupy our workdays. Want to unload your most dynamic, highest-potential employees? Keep doing these things.

Director of Operations and Administration
Church — Birmingham, Ala.
Ability to lead and direct the work of others, five-plus years facilities management and/or human resources experience strongly preferred. Strong interpersonal skills as well as verbal and written communication ...

Director, Administration and Finance
St. Paul's Episcopal Church — Richmond, Va.
The successful candidate will have a commitment to the church of Jesus Christ and its unique mission; executive-level experience in a business or nonprofit organization; financial management skills ...

Administrator
Immanuel United Methodist Church — Lakeside Park, Ky.
Primary skills, education and experience required: This position must be filled by a Christian person with a BS or BA degree and demonstrated business and leadership experience ...